GENEVA (21 March 2019) – States must take urgent, concerted action to achieve racial equality and stop using nationalist populist rhetoric to stoke discrimination, says a group of UN human rights experts*. The appeal comes on the occasion of International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination:

“Less than a week ago, a white supremacist committed an Islamophobic terrorist attack on two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, killing 50 people and injuring many others. This tragic event reminds us that racism, xenophobia and religious hatred are deadly and that the result of ethno-nationalist populism and supremacist ideologies is racial violence, exclusion and discrimination.

The United Nations recorded a total of 259 allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA) during 2018, according to the latest report by Secretary-General António Guterres presented to the General Assembly. Although the figures rose compared with the previous two years, the report shows increased awareness among UN and UN-related staff, and improved and harmonized reporting tools across the Organization. More

The Secretary-General is shocked and appalled at the terrorist attack at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand. He extends his deepest condolences to the families of the victims and to the Government and people of New Zealand.

The Secretary General recalls the sanctity of mosques and all places of worship. He calls upon all people on this holy day for Muslims to show signs of solidarity with the bereaved Islamic community.

The Secretary-General reiterates the urgency of working better together globally to counter Islamophobia and eliminate intolerance and violent extremism in all its forms.

Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesman for the Secretary-General
New York, 15 March 2019

The Secretary-General was deeply saddened at the tragic loss of lives in the airplane crash today near Addis Ababa. He conveys his heartfelt sympathies and solidarity to the victims’ families and loved ones, including those of United Nations staff members, as well as sincere condolences to the Government and people of Ethiopia.

The United Nations is in contact with the Ethiopian authorities and working closely with them to establish the details of United Nations personnel who lost their lives in this tragedy.

On the occasion of the International Women’s Day, UN Video is pleased to send you a video message from the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres. The video features the Secretary-General; Ms Amina J. Mohammed, the Deputy Secretary-General; Ms Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, the Executive Director of UN Women; Ms María Fernanda Espinosa Garcés, the President of the General Assembly; and Ms Jayathma Wickramanayake, the Secretary-General’s Youth Envoy.

The theme for International Women’s Day (8 March) this year, “Think Equal, Build Smart, Innovate for Change”, puts innovation by women and girls, for women and girls, at the heart of efforts to achieve gender equality.

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Use #WomensDay on social media to stand with the groundbreakers who are building a gender-equal future, and be part of the change. Check out our social media package with stereotype-defying visuals, GIFs and inspirational quotes from women innovators here.

(Geneva, 25 February 2019) Sexual violence in conflict and the stigma that victims often face must be addressed urgently, UN chief António Guterres said on Monday, in a joint appeal with the head of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Peter Maurer.

Describing how he was “frequently horrified” by the first-hand accounts of survivors in his previous role as head of the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, Guterres said that only last year, Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh spoke of gang-rape of women and girls in their homes before they fled Myanamar.

Geneva, 6 February 2019: In a clear sign of continuing long-term climate change associated with record atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018 have been confirmed as the four warmest years on record.

A consolidated analysis by the World Meteorological Organization of five leading international datasets showed that the global average surface temperature in 2018 was approximately 1.0° Celsius (with a margin of error of ±0.13°C) above the pre-industrial baseline (1850-1900). It ranks as the fourth warmest year on record.

The UNIC Director was invited to speak at a Canberra Rotary Club meeting to talk about the United Nations and the Sustainable Development Goals. The talk was well received judging from the engaging questions that followed.

The presentation gave a broad outline of the structure and role of the Organization and then looked more deeply at the Sustainable Development Goals. The message given was that while Governments had a key role to play in implementing the Goals it was up to each of us individually, or through civil society organizations, such as Rotary, to play our part by living sustainably and advocating for strong leadership on the issue.

On Tuesday, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) launched the International Year of the Periodic Table of Chemical Elements at its headquarters in Paris, kicking off a series of events and activities to be held throughout the year, as the world celebrates the 150th anniversary since its creation by Russian scientist Dmitri Mendeleev. More.

GENEVA (25 January 2019) – The UN human rights expert Agnès Callamard is to head an international inquiry into the killing of Saudi journalist Mr. Jamal Khashoggi, starting with a visit to Turkey from 28 January to 3 February 2019.

This inquiry, established under the authority of the mandate of the UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary killings, and upon her request, will review and evaluate, from a human rights perspective, the circumstances surrounding the killing of Kashoggi. Callamard will be accompanied by Baroness Helena Kennedy, QC, and Professor Duarte Nuno Vieira from the University of Coimbra.